


Shrapnel

by asweallfallfromgrace



Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Gen, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 13:23:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asweallfallfromgrace/pseuds/asweallfallfromgrace
Summary: An explosion in Ops has a striking similarity to Kira's resistance days.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is honestly just:  
> a. an excuse to write whumpfic  
> b. an exercise in writing DS9 fic. 
> 
> I took a bit of artistic license with the Bajoran stuff.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Deep Space Nine to Rio Grande, you're clear for docking at Docking Port Three," Major Kira said, leaning against the console. Captain Sisko had been gone for almost three days, and she was exhausted from being on duty for the majority of the time. "Welcome back, Captain."

"Thank you, Major." her CO responded through the comm, then cut off the transmission.

Kira sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her temple. She could almost feel Dax's concerned stare from behind her at the science station. She was just about to whip around and explain that she was fine, just needed some rest when there was a loud bang and sparks flew out from her console, and everything went black.

\------

The explosion rocked the Cardassian military facility, and Kira smiled. This was one of the first successful missions that the seventeen-year-old had been on. She took a deep breath, exhilarated, and turned around to look at her partner, but no one was there. What was there, however, was a large piece of shrapnel embedded in her shoulder.

"Arjo?" she called. Then she saw her, about thirty feet away. Shrapnel through the chest, blood everywhere. She didn't even have to check her pulse to know she was dead. 

Then she heard the voices. Cardassian voices. 

"Fuck."

\--------

Dax darted over to Kira's prone body and tapped her combadge. "Dax to Bashir. Medical emergency in Ops."

"On my way." came his response. 

She pressed her fingers to Kira's throat, feeling for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found one. Then she turned her attention to the console, reaching for her tricorder.

"Looks like a power surge," she mused. "It doesn't look like anything intentional."

"That's a relief." Bashir said as he sprinted down the stairs, medkit slung over his shoulder. "What happened?"

"She had just finished talking to Captain Sisko when the console exploded. She was knocked out." she explained as he ran his tricorder over Kira.

"Well, she has a moderate concussion and a few minor plasma burns, but she'll be fine." he replied as he put his tricorder away. "Bashir to infirmary, two to beam over. Energize."

\-------

Kira was still running. It seemed like she had an edge on the Cardassians, but she couldn't risk slowing down and being captured. 

Fortunately, though, it wasn't long before she found an empty house, decrepit and covered in moss - a perfect hideout, at least for the time being. She turned the doorknob, but it was locked. She sighed - there wasn’t time for this, not as long as the Cardassians were looking for her. Frustrated, she slammed her foot against the door. No dice, and now her foot was throbbing. She sighed again, and went to find a window. 

Once she finally hobbled through the broken window, she stood in the kitchen for a minute. The adrenaline of escaping the Cardassians was beginning to wear off, and her shoulder felt like it was on fire. She swore - she’d forgotten about the shrapnel. The kitchen was small, and looked like it’d been ransacked, but there had to be something she could use to get it out. 

She spotted a small box, which looked like it could be a medical kit. She grabbed it and went off to find a bed.

\-----  
“She’s going to be fine, but I am reading some odd neural potentials in her cerebral cortex,” Bashir said to Sisko, who had come to check on his First Officer’s condition. “I’m not entirely sure what they mean, but I’m running some more tests right now.”

Even unconscious, Kira looked exhausted. She was pale, with dark circles rimming her usually-fiery eyes. Sisko sighed. He needed his First Officer. “When do you think she'll be awake?”

“She's not suffering from any serious cranial trauma, so I’d be surprised if she didn't wake up by tomorrow morning.” Bashir replied. “Hopefully sooner.” 

\-----  
The bare mattress was stained with a questionable substance, and it was brown with dried blood smeared across it. To Kira, though, it was luxury incarnate. She sat down on it, leaning against the wall, and began digging through the medkit. It was sparse, holding a small vial of antiseptic, a pair of slightly rusted tweezers, some gauze, and a near-empty bottle of maka herbs. “Good enough.” she muttered to herself.

Kira didn't have any kind of first aid training, but she knew enough from shadowing the resistance cell. Shrapnel was a pretty common injury. She tore off a piece of gauze, poured a bit of antiseptic on it, and rubbed it on the tweezers, then pulled the shrapnel out with shaking hands. It felt like fire blazed through her, and she hissed, biting her lip so she wouldn't scream. Her vision blurred.

“Jia'kaja, tre'nu'tol'a rem... La'por i'lanu kos... I'nar tan'a'tali nor....” she muttered to herself, imploring the Prophets to keep her conscious. “Jia'kaja, tre'nu'tol'a rem... La'por i'lanu kos... I'nar tan'a'tali nor....”

When the pain began to fade, she took a deep breath and looked at her shoulder. The shrapnel left a good-sized gash, but at least it wasn't bleeding. She put some more antiseptic on her shoulder, which caused another round of flames to engulf her shoulder, and wrapped the remaining gauze around it. 

Once she had tended to the worst of her injuries - just a few scrapes and bruises - she flung herself back onto the bed and tried not to think about how she was going to get out of here. Before long, her exhaustion carried her into sleep.

\-----  
“Major? Kira, can you hear me?” Hearing Bashir’s voice, Kira opened her eyes.

“That light is too damn bright.” she groaned, and he grinned, clearly relieved. 

“You had us worried,” Sisko said from her other side, and her eyes went wide. 

“What happened?” she asked, sitting up, forcing herself to ignore the flare of pain in her head.

“Dax told me that there was a power surge in your console. You were standing right in front of it when it exploded.” he responded, while Bashir checked her over with his tricorder. 

Kira groaned. “Sabotage?”

“Not this time. It seems that it was just random.” 

“The perks of mixing Cardassian, Bajoran, and Federation technology.” Bashir interjected lightly as he put his tricorder away. “Major, I’m not reading anything serious, other than the usual post-concussion symptoms. I’m going to have you stay here for the night, just to be on the safe side.”

Kira nodded, too tired to argue.

\-------

“It was really strange, almost like a vision,” Kira said, clutching her raktajino as she spoke. “But I was unconscious.”

Dax shrugged. “Do you think the Prophets were trying to tell you something?”

“I’m not sure. I mean, it was something that happened during the occupation. I was seventeen.” she replied.

“Maybe the explosion subconsciously reminded you of what happened then.” Dax said, standing up. “I have to get to Ops - when’s your next shift?”

“I’m still on restricted duty - I’m pretty sure I scared Julian a bit when I mentioned the vision.” Kira replied, her face splitting into a smile. “See you later.”


End file.
